Courtois dress: bodice construction

I haven't yet finished the overskirt but I decided to make a start on the bodice anyway. I want to be sure of exactly how much fabric I have for the trimmings after the bodice is finished.

The bodice pattern came from Fashions of the Gilded Age I by Frances Grimble, page 391. I made a mock-up of the pattern and so far it looks good. I still need to try it on with the corset and the skirts to adjust the darts at the front, but the back seems to be fitting nicely. A wonder really, because usually I always need to shorten the back on ready-made patterns.

However, there are some things I'm not quite sure about with the pattern. If and when the bodice is flatlined, what would be the neatest and non-fraying/non-ripping way to sew the side back seams? The pattern description (Harper's Bazaar, May 1880) states that the bodice has a postilion back, which evidently means that the back piece has a tail which is pleated from both edges.

This is my bodice and overskirt pattern. Of course I need to modify the neckline, add the shirred piece in front, and shorten the sleeves but the shape and style are close to the dress in the painting.

The bodice pieces, before I enlarged them; I left out the strange skirt piece, because I don't really want to have it and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how a piece like that would fit in with these pieces.

Back piece. The horizontally wide bit is pleated so that the edge which has the small number 9 is in line with the side back edge (running down from the armscye to the hem. To be able to pleat and then sew in the side piece I have to cut horizontally (or at an angle) in to the seam allowance in the corner between number 8 and x.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like this. The pins are holding the pleats in place.

The pleats

I'm worried that it will not look neat and that it will rip when I wear the actual bodice.

The seams are just basted here. The pleats are on right and you can see the back piece seam in 2 parts (not very clear, sorry!).

A bit better picture, I hope

My question is, how to do it neatly? How to sew the pleated back piece to the side piece, when the back piece side back edge is and has to be in two parts?

The sewing instructions for this gown provided by the Harper's Bazaar are vague, to say the least:

"For the basque cut of foulard and lining two pieces each from the front, side piece, skirt piece, back upper sleeve and under sleeve. Join all the parts according to the corresponding figures. Furnish the basque with buttons and buttonholes. Trim as illustrated. "

A lot more is said about how to sew the overskirt and about the fabric choices and trimmings than about the bodice. As said, I omitted the skirt piece, but I don't think it makes a difference when my sewing conundrum is considered. I suppose Victorian seamstresses knew exactly how to sew a neat postilion back bodice but I would really need a little help.

Is it too long?

The overskirt, I mean. I'm not sure. It doesn't feel too long and the pictures look sort of ok. But then I'm only 160cm tall (5'3'') and I'm wondering if it'll look too heavy.

Ignore the red ribbon, I only wanted to try the front gather and haven't yet found a ribbon to match the fabric.

The skirt is finished, sans trims (which I still need to attach and finish pleating).  I think I'll add another tier of trims on the hem. Also, I think I need to add some sort of ties to the skirt, to tie it back against my legs; now it's a bit too voluminous, even though I do like it that way too. I wanted to try the overskirt on with the skirt to adjust the lenght and the waist and to see if I need more trim on the hem of the skirt. I do.

Overskirt+skirt, the back undraped

Overskirt back, draped

A bit wonky here, it's just pinned on. the white bit at the hem is the lining of the overskirt back piece, it won't show once I've hemmed it and put on the trims.

The skirt without trims

Before I put in the placket to hide the closure gap. I made a little train on the skirt :)

Mock-up overskirt, I still wonder if this would be a better shape and length.

Drumroll please...

The 1880s corset is finished!

I had my doubts but this corset project was surprisingly easy, not at all frustrated-hair-pulling-inducing or, well, evil in that special way that only corsets and stays can be. I now dare to say it, having safely finished, that I actually liked making this corset. Shocking.

The pattern is from Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines  and I really didn't modify it at all. The top fabric is the same I used for my 1820s pelisse and it's still one of my all time favourite fabrics. There's a steel busk and spiral steel bones, metal eylets and I used jute yarn for the cording on the bust.

I feel very accomplished :)

I had trouble pulling the lacing evenly. I believe the fit of the top edge will be better when I adjust the lacing.

I had a bit of fun with the flossing

I sewed the busk in by hand, and also the cording and the topstitched boning channels on the front and front side pieces. Otherwise the corset  is machine-sewn.

In progress...

Scared

Somehow all this should make a corset from the year 1880. I won't lie, I'm definitely stepping out of my comfort zone here.

On one hand, I really want to get started and get the corset done, because after that I can begin sewing the dress which I really want to do. On the other hand, I'm scared to begin, because based on my previous attempts with corsetry and staymaking, there's a fair chance that everything will go spectacularly wrong. Maybe the pieces will sew themselves if I stare at them long enough.

I've made a chemise, though. I've been having a Hercule Poirot binge for about a week and a half now, watching all the seasons of that great series and sewing pintucks on my new chemise. I got the pattern from the Fashions of the Gilded Age I, and then modified it slightly. All is hansewn, as usual. I like it and I hope it works with the corset, if I ever get around making it.

Front

Back

Red and white block printed gown

It's nice to have a new dress. This particular dress has been on my to-do list for a long time, ever since I bought those Indian block prints and long before that really. The reason I haven't got around making it until now has been, as ever, the lack of the right fabric. Anyway, I found nice white cotton voile around the New Year and was really chuffed to bits. Finally!

The "little white dress" is certainly the ubiquitous Regency fashion
item, but the patterned print fabric dresses were equally popular, in all available colours. I'm not well read enough on the topic to write about it at lenght, but there's plenty of information on the subject to be found in the net.

The dress pattern came from Janet Arnold's book, and it's the same I used for my very first Regency dress, the white fern dress. I always liked that pattern and it worked well, so why not use it. I cut the pieces and then set out printing them. I used the narrow border print on the neck edge, the cuffs, the "belt" piece and the hem. For the hem I also used the big paisley prints to create a wide border. The rest of the dress is printed with the little flower motif. I measured the hem border very carefully, to make the both hem pieces match when I sewed them together. I was a bit less meticulous with the flower motif, and didn't measure and mark the placements. It shows, if you examine the dress really closely, but not so much as to really bother me. I'm already planning to print fabric for another project, so maybe I'll be more careful next time.

Now, then. Enough with this, here are some pictures.

The neck-edge and the belt pieces

Sleeve

The dress hem

It was surprisingly hard to print both the hem pieces. It didn't really take that long, but after finishing the first piece, I procrastinated for a week before starting on the second piece.

I like the back and the pretty pleats

Well, it's winter, after all, so the Shetland lace shawl came in handy here.

The colour looks pink but it's actually red. I swear I'm not doing this on purpose... :)

This dress has already proved to be very versatile, it matches most of my Regency spencers and shawls. That's what I really like about Regency fashions (and try to keep in mind whenever I make new things), that you can mix and match different items of clothing and have a new outfit with small changes and different combinations.

I made this 1790s-1800 spencer in early January 2013

The dress with the long-sleeved frilly chemisette

The dress closes with 3 dorset buttons and there's a ribbon running through the belt channel underbust that ties at the back, to secure the fit of the bodice.

Looks fab with this spencer, too.